There isn't enough room to elevate Barbur North of Burlingame. And you can't build an elevated rail line on top of a crumbling highway bridge. It'll have to be underground or along a hillside cut there.

The Clackamas County anti-light rail initiative has qualified for the Sept. 18 special ballot, setting up a potentially bruising fight between MAX opponents, TriMet and the Clackamas County Commission.

Petition supporters says the measure requires a public vote on the county's $25 million commitment to the $1.5 billion Portland-to-Milwaukie Light Rail Line project. TriMet says the measure only applies to future rail projects because the county has already signed a legally-binding agreement to provide the money. The commission has not actually identified the source of the money or sent the money to TriMet, however.

Petition co-sponsor Jim Knapp says there will be "hell to pay" if the commission ignores the will of the voters. Knapp is also running for the commission, along with a number of other candidates opposed to the project.

Work on the project has already started in Portland. Among other things, a new bridge to carry the MAX line from downtown to inner east Portland is currently being built over the Willamette River.

The Federal Transit Administration has pledged to pay 50 percent of the project cost. The rest is promised by the State of Oregon, Metro, TriMet, Clackamas County, the City of Portland and the City of Milwaukie. TriMet and the FTA have not yet signed the Full Funding Agreement commiting the federal funds, however. That is expected to happen in coming weeks.

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Reader comments
Re: Anti-MAX measure certified for ballot

It's really time for Clackamas County to get on board with light rail and mass transit--McLoughlin Blvd. is a joke.

Believe me, sitting on MAX, reading your newspaper, drinking your coffee, watching the seasons change throughout the year or reading a book is MUCH better than sitting in traffic, burning up gas and money.
"Nina"

The older you are and the longer you’ve lived in Clackamas County, the less likely you are to have a favorable attitude toward county governance.
That was one of the findings from a new poll that asked 400 Clackamas County residents how they felt about their county government.

The poll by DHM Research was done between Feb. 23 and 27 for $25,000.
Among its findings, there was disagreement about the Clackamas County’s general direction, with 46 percent saying things in the county are headed in the right direction, while 29 percent said the county was going in the wrong direction.

etc, etc, article is followed with usual foaming at the mouth comments and a couple of reasonable ones.

It's so sad to see these people consistently vote against their own self-interest. Just like in Vancouver in the 90's. With gas prices the way they are, you'd think that people would be eager to embrace more transit options, not stymie their development.

I wish we could rethink some of our light rail priorities. If other counties and cities don't want MAX... fine. Let's use the dollars to expand the streetcar instead. We really should be connecting more of our own Portland neighborhoods.

TriMet promises new $4.3 million MAX trains will be roomier inside, even if outside looks the same
Published: Friday, April 06, 2012, 4:58 PM Updated: Friday, April 06, 2012, 5:01 PM
By Joseph Rose, The Oregonian

TriMet riders, how are those newer, sleeker MAX trains working for you?

I’m among those who have had plenty of complaints. In 2009, shortly after the Type 4 trains debuted, I wrote about TriMet’s apparent “war on legs.” My measuring-tape tests showed the leg room on the newer models more suited for Hobbits than daily job trekkers.

So, I gave off an audible groan when I read today that TriMet is planning to spend $73.8 million on 18 “Type 5” trains from Siemens using the exact same body design as the Type 4s.

But even though the outside of the future trains will come from the same mold, the interior is expected to be roomier. “We’re taking lessons from the Type 4 and applying it to the Type 5,” said TriMet spokeswoman Mary Fetsch. “We will make suggestions on what to change, from the configuration of the operator’s cabin to general rider areas.”

Phew! Good news, especially when you consider that some seats on the Type 4 partially butt up against door frames, giving one leg 8 inches to move and the other a tortuous 4 inches. Huh?

Siemens was one of three companies to bid on the contract, which is expected to be awarded as part of a resolution going before the board this month resolution going before the TriMet board this month (PDF).

The 18 trains are being paid for through the Portland-Milwaukie Light Rail line’s $1.5 billion capital budget.

The federal government is expected to sign off on a final agreement to fund half of the 7.3-mile Orange Line, with TriMet and local governments set to cover the other half. Of course, in Clackamas County, an initiative requiring Clackamas County voter approval before the county pays $25 million to TriMet for the project is on the fall ballot.

According to the purchase resolution, ranked the three companies that submitted bids on a “price score” formula “based on the proposed base contract price plus a weighted price for options.”

Siemen’s proposal, according to the document, received the highest score -- largely because it was $8 million below the project engineer’s estimate. “This Resolution authorizes TriMet to execute a contract with Siemens for the base price amount of $73.8 million, and to execute contract modifications for contingency costs in an amount not to exceed $6.4 million,” the document reads.

A Stadler proposal, by contrast, offered a little more than 70 percent American-made content, while train-maker CAF offered only to exceed the required 60-percent minimum.

The transit geeks over at the Portland Transport blog have more on how contract works, while alluding to their April Fools light-rail joke. (I told you they were geeks.)

The Orange Line is scheduled to open in September 2015. TriMet is currently building a $135 million bridge over the Willamette River for the line. Portlanders should see the bridge’s towers begin to emerge from the water in May.